Visiting
by Generic Gen
Summary: DH spoilers. Harry visits his parent's graves, and the graves of the others who died fighting, four years after the end of the war. He stops by the painting of a previous headmaster while at Hogwarts... oneshot.


They always visited on the 31st of October.

It seemed appropriate, Harry first thought when they had visited for the second year running, and had realized that it had become a tradition of sorts.

After all, it was the anniversary of the day that, so many years ago, he had, so to say, 'Lived.' It was a sort of rebirthing for him, to see their names etched across the pristine marble, echoing softly onto the drum of his heart.

It was also, of course, the day they had died.

They also would visit Fred, Dumbledore, Lupin, and Tonks the same day. They had made a silent agreement that it was best to contain all of the mourning to a single day; best to concentrate it, rather than spread it out throughout the year.

So he and Ginny made their way to Godric's Hollow for the third time together, Ginny clutching his hand in hers as they felt the same, eerie compression they associated with Apparition.

They landed behind the church, in an isolated area they knew was devoid of Muggles. They walked around together, hand in hand, until they reached the graveyard, which was long and silent and calm. It was as though the air was thicker here, thought Harry, as he and Ginny pushed past the kissing gate and walked onto the soft ground.

It was still perhaps a half-hour before sunset, so they didn't need a wand to maneuver between the graves. But Harry thought that even if it was nighttime, he would be able to find them without opening his eyes. The path was ingrained into his brain.

And so he found their double grave, a glare from the sun obscuring their names. He squinted and barely made out the 'Jam' of James and the 'ly' of Lily. The names 'Potter' were practically impossible to see.

Harry felt an immediate excitement as a cloud moved over the sun and the names were thrown into sharp relief. He read 'Died 31 October 1981,' and suddenly he felt a sick, twisted feeling rise up inside him. He kneeled onto the ground, and Ginny followed.

She murmured softly, reading from the gravestone, "The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death."

Suddenly, inexplicably, he laughed. Ginny turned toward him sharply, but the laugh had gone as quickly as it had come.

"It's just…" he said, trying to explain to her, "well, it's not funny. It just reminded me of something."

When Ginny raised an eyebrow, he continued, "Before I went to go to give myself up to Voldemort, I had thought that those words had meant like, living beyond death. But while I was walking to him, I realized that those words sort of applied to me right there: '_The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death_.' I had to get rid of my fear of death in order to… conquer it in a way, I suppose." He turned to her, looking a little amused with himself. "I don't know if it makes sense. But I can't help remembering that it was Dumbledore who put these words here."

Ginny smiled back at him, shaking her head. "No, it makes sense," she said softly.

Suddenly Harry got up, and walked across two rows till he reached the two granite graves. Lichens were still swarming the tombstones, and Harry bent down, and read out loud, "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

"Dumbledore?" asked Ginny, reading the tombstones. "Were these Dumbledore's relatives?"

Harry nodded. "His mother," he said, gesturing to the gravestone for Kendra, "and his little sister," he pointed to Ariana's grave.

"What does it mean?" asked Ginny in a whisper.

Harry conjured flowers with his wand, placed them on their graves. He gazed at the quotation. "It means… that your heart will always be with the one you love. And Dumbledore's treasure was his sister, and his mother. His family." He remembered Dumbledore's expression as he had drank the vile potion in the cave, his pleas and cries. He suddenly felt sorrowful. "Nobody ever knew it, but he really did treasure them, more than anything else. More than his brains or his awards or whatever. He wanted them back."

He felt a tear slip down his cheek. Suddenly he said it out loud, even though it felt childish, but he knew Ginny wouldn't laugh at him. "I miss him."

Ginny took his hand in hers and squeezed it. The pressure from her hand seemed to ease him, release a knot that had formed in his chest, and he fingered the golden band on her fourth finger. They stood up together. "There's my ancestor's grave," he said, motioning to their far left. "Ignotus Peverell."

The sun was sinking softly through the sky. Ginny looked at him earnestly, and Harry nodded. She, of course, wanted to visit Fred before the sun set. They'd have to Apparate into Hogsmeade, since the staff had decided to keep the same protections that had been placed around Hogwarts from when Snape had been headmaster.

Harry looked forward to the trip. He wanted to talk to Dumbledore, at any rate. And maybe he'd stop by to see Snape on the way. Thank him, perhaps. He doubted that Snape would be any kinder to him than he had been when he was living. But then again, you never could be sure when it came to him…

He stood in front of him, his hooked nose and sallow skin as revolting as it had been when he had been living. Snape's beetle-black eyes were glaring at him, as though they were back in fifth year again and Harry had unfailingly produced some pathetic substance he could only _hope _was supposed to be the assigned potion.

Harry found that he didn't know what to say. He did the only thing he could do and smiled.

Snape cast a weary eye at the image of Harry standing next to his red-haired wife in the Headmistress's office. An arrogant smirk cast itself across his mouth, but there was a hint of pain in it. He looked into Harry's bright, almond-shaped eyes.

It had been a trick of the light, Harry thought, as he and Ginny walked out of Hogwarts and across the wide lawn. He tried to convince himself of that, tried not to bring his hopes up. But he couldn't fight his gut instinct much longer. In that one instant, it had come and gone, but he was sure it had been there.

There was no doubt in his mind now. A strange jubilation, mixed with pride and sadness, enveloped him as he and Ginny began to turn to Apparate.

Severus Snape's portrait had smiled back.

* * *

Well, that's it. Written very quickly, I realize there are probably mistakes, and I apologise for them. But the idea just struck me as I was rereading the chapter where he visits his parent's graves, and that went from one thing to another... Title's kinda lame, sorry about that but I couldn't think of anything (not a good excuse, I know.) Anyway, please review, I would appreciate it a lot! And can someone help me out here and tell me how to add lines of blank space? and does this thing indent or no? Sorry, haven't published in a while, so I'm sort of a noob at this. And I can't remember html, sadly. 


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